Chapter Fifty-Three—"Before the Dawn"
Belle and Snow had just stepped back into the main courtyard when the commotion began. The loudest voice Belle could hear was—predictably—that of Queen Leah, who was objecting to something or another that someone else had said. Typically, Leah spoke arrogantly, but there was a hint of something more hesitant in her voice, an odd note Belle had never heard from her before. Quickly, however, Regina interjected, her tone hard and hostile:
"Come for another round, have you?" the Evil Queen demanded, and something in her voice made Belle and Snow both quicken their pace, pushing through the suddenly dense crowd—why was everyone in the courtyard instead of inside?—as royals, nobles, and sorcerers stood frozen in place.
Belle had just managed to step around her father (whose body language screamed terror! in ways she only seen once, when Rumplestiltskin had shown up that first time) when a laughing soprano replied:
"I'm hardly interested in you. Step aside."
"What makes you think I care what you're interested in?" Regina retorted as Belle's eyes found the tall queen of the fae.
Their enemy's hazel eyes were burning brightly, and every line of her body exuded power. Her silver and black dress was already billowing out behind her, swept up in a wind that touched no one else; it was obviously driven by magic and was potent enough to make a chill run down even Belle's spine. How must Regina feel, facing down the fae who had nearly killed her just a few months earlier? The Evil Queen didn't exhibit so much as a hint of fear; her shoulders were squared and her expression haughty, but she had to be worried. Facing the Black Fairy alone had torn her to shreds last time, and Regina was no fool. She couldn't win this battle, and that meant Regina was playing for time.
But Emma stepped up next to her former enemy before the Black Fairy could reply, and Belle suddenly felt her heart leap. Perhaps the two of them might be able to—
Call me, the words echoed in her mind, spoken the night after Blue had spiked Rumplestiltskin's drink with a sleeping potion. If either of them ever comes near you, call me immediately, her fiancé had told her. Now both fairies knew they were True Love, Rumplestiltskin had reminded Belle, and that was dangerous. Particularly to Belle, who had never been talented with or interested in magic, and could not defend herself if either the Blue or Black Fairy decided to target her. Belle knew she was vulnerable. She refused to let that frighten her, but she understood that it wouldn't be very hard for either of them to use her to threaten Rumple. Belle had never lacked courage, but she wasn't going to be stupid, either. Even if she knew that Rumple feared facing the Black Fairy—and had stood witness to far too many of his nightmares to think otherwise—she knew he would rather be here.
"Rumplestiltskin," she whispered under her breath, too quietly for the Black Fairy to hear.
Or so she thought.
Danns' a'Bhàis' head whipped around to look right at her, hazel eyes burning into Belle's own Blue. The too-perfect face immediately creased into a smile, vicious and hard.
"Calling your lover won't help you, girl," the darkest fairy purred. "Rumplestiltskin can't hear you."
Despite herself, Belle swallowed. Norco had been terrifying enough when he'd talked of making her his toy; the Black Fairy was much more dangerous and much less playful. Her smile, for example, was not light at all. It was that of a predator who had zeroed in on their prey and was about to feast.
"Leave her alone," Emma cut in forcefully, still at Regina's side. The two of them were almost between Belle and the Black Fairy, but not quite.
"Now why would I do that?" the Black Fairy countered. "I mean her no harm—for the moment. For now, I'm merely curious what type of girl won the heart of my Dark One."
"He's not yours," Belle shot back, unable to stop herself. "And he's not the Dark One any longer, either. He's free of your horrible curse."
"For the moment," the fairy purred, stepping forward only to find Emma in her path. Emma seemed to crackle with power, too; not as much as the Black Fairy, but still dangerous and brave. Regina was right there with her, and a corner of Belle's mind marveled at what a great team they made. They'd hated one another for so long, fought over Henry, Storybrooke, and everything else, but now the Evil Queen and the Savior stood side by side, ready to defend Belle, of all people. Their intervention brought the Black Fairy up short. She scowled. "Stand aside."
The dismissive tone obviously didn't sit well with Emma. "Make me," the Savior retorted.
Regina's smile was a taunt all by itself. "If you can."
One porcelain white hand waved loftily, and suddenly both sorceresses were thrown backwards. Belle thought she heard Robin shout Regina's name as the Evil Queen slammed into a wall almost fifty feet away from where she'd been standing just moments before, but she hardly had time to notice that. Nor did she notice who Emma flew into as power swept her off her feet; suddenly, the Black Fairy was standing in front of her, hazel eyes gleaming with victory and her face only inches from Belle's own.
"Belle of Avonlea," the taller woman purred.
Silence reigned; Belle saw no reason to reply. A long finger reached out to land under her chin and force her head up at an uncomfortable angle. Belle could have pulled away, but chose not to, even when a nail dug slightly into the underside of her jaw. She refused to wince, and met the gaze of the fairy who had tortured her True Love without flinching. Her heart might have been racing, but Belle would not show fear. Do the brave thing, and bravery will follow. Odd how it was those words Rumple would remember out of all the things she had once said to him, but they fit now. Again.
"What is it that he sees in you?" her opponent asked softly. Jealously?
"You wouldn't understand," Belle answered honestly.
Irritation flicked across the Black Fairy's face. "Try me."
"I accept him for who he is," Belle retorted boldly. "And I would never forcehim to do anything he doesn't want to."
And I would never, not in a million years, hurt him, Belle didn't say. I understand how fragile he is beneath all that power, and I make him stronger.
Rumplestiltskin made her stronger, too. True Love did that. Before falling in love with him, Belle would never have imagined facing off with the two most powerful fairies in all of creation, and she'd looked both in the eye and told them what she thought of them. Oh, she'd been courageous enough to go with Rumplestiltskin even when she'd been terrified, but Belle knew she'd grown stronger during her time with him. They each made the other stronger, and that was what mattered. True Love has to be fought for, Rumple had told her a hundred times. And they'd fought for one another.
"I love him," she finished strongly, daring the Black Fairy to prove her wrong. Belle knew she couldn't.
"Of course you do," the fae sneered, but something in her disdainful expression told Belle that her words had touched a nerve. "Humans always think you have a monopoly on love."
She loved Merlin, Belle reminded herself, feeling a tiny flicker of pity for the Black Fairy. She'd loved the man she had destroyed. When she thought Rumplestiltskin was Merlin, had she hoped for a second chance? Belle could not so much as imagine hurting the man she loved the way the Black Fairy had hurt Merlin—or the way she had hurt Rumple!—but she did understand the beauty and the agony of receiving a second chance. Perhaps some of the hostility Belle was now faced with was borne of heartbreak more than hatred. Belle could empathize with the Black Fairy, just a little bit, at least until she thought of what the tall redhead had done to Rumplestiltskin.
He still had nightmares from that year of hell she'd made him suffer through. He probably always would.
"And Rumplestiltskin loves me," Belle shot back, anger making her voice fierce, throwing caution to the winds. "Nothing you can do will change that."
"No, but I can kill you." The disdainful voice turned soft and deadly-dangerous in an instant, and Belle suddenly felt power building around her. The Black Fairy smiled at Belle, but the expression was more of a snarl as she asked: "And how well do you think that your True Love will weather the howling emptiness losing you will cause in his heart?"
Belle felt cold. She shouldn't have taunted the Black Fairy, and she knew it. Was she about to pay the price?
Warmth spread through her left palm, and it took Belle a moment to realize that it was coming from her engagement ring, the ring one she'd only been able to wear for a handful of days so far. What was going on?
"My magic," Rumplestiltskin had told her. "Designed to keep you safe from anyone and anything. Even me."
"Hey!" It was Emma's voice that shouted, but Belle somehow knew that it was Regina who threw magic at the Black Fairy. The Evil Queen and the Savior had both shaken off the effects of having been thrown away earlier, and now both were back in the fight. Or wanted to be.
A second careless wave of the Black Fairy's hand send magic crashing out at both sorcerers while she sneered. "Wait your turn."
They really do see us as children, don't they? Belle thought with sudden clarity, thinking back on her conversation with Snow. Both fairies wanted humans compliant and controllable; sorceresses like Regina and Emma were too powerful and would not be tolerated. Belle realized in a flash that the pair of them probably could stand up to the Black Fairy, but not like this—they were working together, but not as a team. So long as Regina and Emma attacked separately, the Black Fairy could sweep them aside like features in the wind.
But there was nothing feather-like in the way both bounced off of the furthest castle wall; Belle heard bones crunch and saw blood splatter out of the corner of her eye. Snow shouted her daughter's name and Robin tried to catch Regina, only to wind up smashed into the wall with her. All three bodies fell together, but Robin seemed to be the only conscious one in amongst them. Snow ran to Emma while Robin tried to get up; Charming was edging towards Belle as if to offer support, but she could hardly see him from where she was standing. When she tried to turn towards the others, Belle found her feet would not work; she was rooted to the spot much the same way Norco had once trapped her, and she felt her pounding heart race still faster. Yet she still noticed Baelfire quietly working his way towards Emma. He wasn't foolish enough—or experienced enough—to try to force his way into this fight, but Belle knew her future stepson well enough to know that he had a trick up his sleeve.
She just had to buy him time to pull the rabbit out of his hat.
Sucking in a shaky breath, Belle made herself meet those terrifying hazel eyes again. "Killing me won't make him turn to you," she said quietly, but with utter certainty. "He's stronger than that."
The warmth was spreading from her left hand, and Belle closed her fist so that she could touch the ring with her thumb. A jolt ran through her when she did, not unpleasant but powerful, and it felt like Rumplestiltskin's magic, warm and loving and only for her. Even if he couldn't hear her calling, Rumple would buy them all the time they needed. Had he known Belle would need the ring for something like this, or had Rumple just been being his usual meticulous self?
"And here I thought you knew what losing your True Love did to someone," the fae purred maliciously, and Belle had to swallow back the memory of pain. Yes, she remembered that howling emptiness, remembered falling to the street in Storybrooke when she'd thought Rumplestiltskin was dead. How much worse would it be if he was actually dead? Or if she was? Was that how the Black Fairy meant to break him?
"I won't—" Belle started, only to be cut off as a wave of darkness reared up to consume her.
The dagger was safe, and Belle was in danger. The first fact mattered little compared to the second, careful though Rumplestiltskin had been to make sure that the dagger remained out of Danns' hands. He'd known he had a few moments to do so, though, otherwise he would never have risked it. Belle was more important to him than the dagger, more important than even his freedom. Had he been forced to choose between keeping the dagger and keeping Belle safe, it would be no contest. Even if the choice was between becoming the Dark One once more and keeping her safe, he'd always choose Belle. Rumplestiltskin had finally come to embrace the uncompromising nature of his own love for the woman he'd asked to marry him, and he would do anything to keep her safe.
That was why, when the first twinge of warning traveled to him via the connection between his magic and the ring he'd given Belle, Rumplestiltskin had dropped everything. But even as he teleported out of his vault—and into the Dark Castle, for the magic woven around the vault allowed one exiting to go nowhere but Rumplestiltskin's great hall—the second warning hit him, this one much harder than the first. The first had been a sense of vague danger, of someone just beginning to threaten Belle, but this was nothing of that sort. This was what would have been a death blow, aimed at his True Love.
No. Without conscious thought, Rumplestiltskin reached into that bottomless chasm of power he'd inherited and suddenly he was there, darkness swirling around him and reaching out to tear apart whomever dared to threaten Belle. Magic raced out of his upraised right hand, hitting Belle's attacker head on and throwing him or her back. But Rumplestiltskin didn't even bother to see who it was; instead, he turned to Belle as she stumbled back, protected from the attack by her ring but not shielded enough to keep it from pushing her back a few steps. The ring could keep the magic from hurting her, but the concussion clearly was enough to daze her.
Rumplestiltskin caught Belle by the hand before she could fall. His touch seemed to help her find clarity, and blue eyes met brown.
"Rumple," Belle breathed, and for a moment the world stood still and nothing, no one save the two of them, mattered at all.
"Hey," he whispered, feeling the love flowing between them, feeling the magic inherent in it. That gave him strength, not nearly as much as Belle's love and confidence did, but strength all the same. Touching her hand was like coming home, always had been, and even as Rumplestiltskin looked into her eyes, he drew on that magic to weave an intricate web of defenses around Belle. His love and his fury both fed those defenses, because there was no mistaking the depth of his anger. Someone had attacked Belle.
"It's the Black Fairy," Belle replied breathlessly, answering the unspoken question Rumplestiltskin hadn't yet gotten around to asking.
Coldness swept over him, and it wasn't just the magic he knew now that Danns was building. "I love you," Rumplestiltskin told Belle, putting the finishing touches on the defenses he had just surrounded his love with.
"I know," she replied with a smile. "Now do what you have to do."
Darting forward, Belle pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and Rumplestiltskin felt power surge within him. He was giving Danns precious seconds, moments he could not afford to waste, and he did not care. Drawing Belle close, he kissed her hard and then yanked back, afraid that he would not be able to pull away from her if he didn't do so quickly.
"Get clear," Rumplestiltskin told her, and turned to face his enemy just in time for dark magic to slam into his chest.
The defenses he'd woven around Belle held, but Rumplestiltskin had had no time to create such airtight protections around himself. He could have done so, he supposed, leaving the ring to protect Belle—which it probably could—but Rumplestiltskin was prepared to take no chances. Not when Danns had clearly targeted Belle. Rumplestiltskin had never been a fool in love before, and he was fairly certain that he was not now; their kiss had only served to channel True Love into those defenses and allow Rumplestiltskin to tie those safeguards directly to Belle. If that left him vulnerable, so be it. A few blows wouldn't kill him.
Even if this first one made him feel like it could.
Danns had clearly been gathering power for this blow ever since he arrived, and it was designed to rip him apart, again, dismantling the healing he'd done yet another time—but painful as the magic was, it didn't take into account the fact that Rumplestiltskin hadn't healed himself. Emma had done that, and her magic held. Still, the wave of darkness swept Rumplestiltskin off his feet and spun him around, hammering into his innards and stressing organs to the breaking point. It could not disassemble the previously done healing, so it sought to dismantle him instead. Pain screamed through his body, stars exploding before his eyes. Rumplestiltskin hit the ground hard, landing on his left shoulder and trying and failing to roll with the impact while his muscles refused to properly respond to his commands.
But there was no time for human weaknesses, human frailties. Not if he wanted to live—and Rumplestiltskin was nothing if not a survivor. Additionally, he had grown a little more accustomed to pain than he was comfortable with, and he had magic. So, he could pour power into his body and force it to compensate, could just teleport himself to his feet and whirl around to face Danns, magic roaring to his fingertips and spells already rolling through his mind.
He swatted aside her next spell with a wave of his left hand, catching it in a tightly closed fist and letting the power spark showily. The spectators who hadn't been smart enough to dive out of the way when Belle backed up—and there were uncomfortably many people watching—started stumbling away. It was amazing how a few sparks could chase them away when the beginning of a duel between a sorcerer and a dark fairy could not, but that was humanity for you. There was at least a little madness in all of them.
Thankfully, Belle was saner than the rest of them put together, and he could see her out of the corner of his eye, shooing people back and telling them that staying too close to this fight was suicide. Rumplestiltskin devoutly wished that his love would run, that she'd put as much distance between herself and the Black Fairy as possible, but he knew she would not. Nor would the others, unfortunately, even if most of the assembled royals and nobles seemed to have listened enough to retreat to the very edges of the courtyard. Regina and Emma were on their feet now, and stood together—wasn't that ironic?—towards the front of the crowd, but Rumplestiltskin wished that they would just leave. He didn't need an audience for this.
Even though it was a battle that had been brewing from the moment Regina had reversed her curse, from the moment Rumplestiltskin had stabbed Pan and somehow broken his own curse.
"I glad you could join us, Rumple," Danns' a'Bhàis said with a razor-sharp smile. "Your beautiful betrothed and I were just having a friendly conversation."
"It didn't look too friendly from where I'm standing," he replied, his voice soft and dangerous, a growl rather than the imp's mad giggle. "And don't call me that. I reserve that nickname for people I like."
That made the Black Fairy laugh. "Did I offend you?"
"You trying to kill Belle offended me, dearie," Rumplestiltskin snapped. "If you think I didn't notice that, you're wrong."
"It got your attention, didn't it?" she answered with an elegant shrug. He could still feel the power building within her, could feel the spells she was readying even as she spoke. Her ability to do so should have been frightening—and was, on an intellectual level—except for the fact that he was doing the same.
A freezing spell. A storm of lightning. A whirlwind of power designed to tear her in two. Three of his patented fairy-dissolving spells. Those, and dozens of others. Rumplestiltskin hung them on the edges of his consciousness, tucked them away in mental pockets where they were easy to grab when he needed them. He had no illusions this afternoon. This fight would not be like either of the times he'd engaged Norco. Rumplestiltskin could not get by using pure power to overcome Danns. She could match him in that, and had many more centuries of experience than he did. No, he'd have to be clever.
The hazel eyes that met Rumplestiltskin's told him that his opponent was thinking the same thing, so he threw her off with a smile and a low laugh.
"You certainly did. Are you sure you wanted it?" he countered.
"Of course I did." Inevitably, she stepped up close to him, invading his personal space and reminding Rumplestiltskin of all the times he'd not been able to fight back. Having her this close to him made him think of every time he'd been bound to a wall and shaking in pain, of being magic'd into a chair and unable to move, always unable to fight back. But the only thing he hated more than being helpless was being unable to protect those he loved. My need to protect Bae was what got me into this mess in the first place, he knew.
Twisted though that road had been, Rumplestiltskin would not change the choice he had made the moment he had stabbed Circe's dagger into Zoso's chest. No. That choice had led to this moment, to the world's original darkness threatening those he loved—but it had also led Rumplestiltskin to a point where he could match her blow for blow.
"Well," he replied softly, refusing to back up so much as an inch, "you have my undivided attention, Danns. I do hope I don't disappoint."
"I'm sure you will. Humans always do."
Rumplestiltskin snorted. "Then I'll be sure to live up to that."
"By the time I'm through with you, Rumplestiltskin, you'll wish you'd only disappointed me." Hazel eyes narrowed dangerously, but Rumplestiltskin could see the gleam of anticipation in her gaze. She was enjoying this, enjoying the opportunity to face him down—and the opportunity to threaten Belle.
That thought alone was almost enough to make Rumplestiltskin see red. Although his temper didn't have such a hair trigger these days, Rumplestiltskin still wasn't the sort to put up with anyone threatening the woman he loved. That spell the ring had caught would have killed Belle if she hadn't been wearing such protection, and that was not something he could ignore. Nor forgive.
"Don't be so certain of that," he replied, meeting her vicious anticipation with his own. Danns wasn't the only one who wanted this fight; Rumplestiltskin might fear her, but he also burned to prove to himself that he could face her. And he wanted this over. Now. So he smiled. "After all, I've yet to meet any of your expectations. What makes you think I would start now?"
"No, I suppose you would not," Danns replied sharply, stepping back. Knowing what was coming, Rumplestiltskin matched the motion, and together they opened the distance between them to a dozen feet or so. Her beautiful face twisted up in fury, and was that regret? "You are no Merlin."
"And glad not to be, dear."
They attacked as one, power sweeping outwards and clashing between them, setting off a light show of cosmic proportions. It was like a giant star had sprung to life in the space between them, hanging motionless in midair for several seconds as it cycled through colors: first black, then red, then purple and finally white. The light from it was so bright that Rumplestiltskin almost felt as if his eyes were burning just looking at that starburst, but he dared not look away. He could feel the struggle where their magic met, could feel it vibrating in his bones and could feel time threatening to stand still. When had been the last time that two original powers had faced off like this? More than a millennia had passed since such a battle had taken place, and Rumplestiltskin could feel the very nature of magic watching, waiting. The sensation took his breath away, even as blackness started creeping in on the edges of his vision and his hands started to shake.
He could not hold this forever. Nor for much longer. Had seconds passed, or hours? Time felt sluggish, captured, as if so much power threatened to damage the very fabric of the Enchanted Forest. He could feel the waves of magic traveling through him now, pounding out of his body like wild surf crashing on the shore. His breathing was starting to come in time with the power, short and hard, and his extended right hand felt leaden, yet unable to fall. He was stuck, trapped by his own magic as much as hers, bound to see this to the end, regardless of what that might be.
The starburst between them was only growing in size and brightness, feeding on both of them as their magic, their souls, fought for dominance. Whoever gave first would die, and yet Rumplestiltskin was not sure that his very human body could take this strain. Dizziness swept over him, aggravating the damage caused by that first attack of Danns', and his body wanted to sway precariously. But it could not. He was caught in the grip of the magic, swept away by power he'd initiated but which had escaped his control.
One look at Danns told Rumplestiltskin that she felt the same...and he wasn't sure either one of them could stop this.
A/N: The battle has begun! But Danns still has a trick or two up her sleeve—can you guess what it is?
The battle between Rumplestiltskin and the Black Fairy continues in Chapter Fifty-Four: "Fate in the Balance."